The Photographers’ Gallery and ICF present an archival exhibition bringing into focus two editions of photography journal Ten.8, Black Image and Body Politics.
Book Tickets
Ten.8 was launched in 1978 with the initial stated aim of providing a forum for West Midlands-based photographers to come together and share images and ideas. It quickly became a national and then internationally-focused publication and was described by the Jamaican-born scholar Professor Stuart Hall as:
“the journal which has most systematically explored the relationship between how we represent the world photographically, the knowledge which these images produce and their implications for power and politics”.
This exhibition celebrates the renowned photography journal Ten.8 and its wider influence. It brings into focus two editions of Ten.8, Black Image (1984) and Body Politics (1987), by activating this rich history through text, design and archival material. Using these two issues as a departure point, this exhibition aims to open up a wider conversation about the legacy of Ten.8 and its exploration of the photographic medium.
Quotes are included from both issues by cultural and artistic luminaries such as Barbara Kruger, C L R James and Stuart Hall, and photographs by David A Bailey, Derek Bishton and Horace Ové. These are accompanied by material from The Photographers’ Gallery’s Archive related to these issues and to corresponding exhibitions presented at the Gallery: Staying on: Immigrant Communities in London (1984) and The Body Politic: Re-Presentations of Sexuality (1987).
Ten.8 In Focus: The legacy of Black Image and Body Politics offers a snapshot of the dynamic and multifaceted ways in which Ten.8 explored ideas around power, representation, race and photography. This examination of the journals demonstrates how pivotal and ahead of its time Ten.8 was during the 1980s and considers the ongoing relevance of these texts and images.
The exhibition is a collaboration between The Photographers’ Gallery and ICF and is curated by Ten.8 editors Derek Bishton and Darryl Georgiou. Exhibition design is by Darryl Daley.
Public Programme
Shifting the Centre Reading Group: Ten.8 in Focus – Tuesday 5 November 2024, 6:30 – 7:45 pm, The Photographers’ Gallery (free to book)
In this reading group, we will collectively discuss two Stuart Hall texts: the 2006 essay Modernity and Its Others: Three ‘Moments’ in the Post-War History of the Black Diaspora Arts and the 1984 article Reconstruction Work: Stuart Hall on Images of Post War Black Settlement.
Book Now
Reflecting on the Legacy of Ten.8 – Tuesday 26 November 2024, 6:30 – 7:45 pm, The Photographers’ Gallery (this event is ticketed)
This panel discussion featuring Gilane Tawadros, Derek Bishton and Darryl Georgiou, and moderated by ICF’s Artistic Director David A. Bailey, will delve into the legacy and impact of the renowned photography journal Ten.8.
Book Now
Ten.8 in Focus Exhibition Tour – Thursday 9 January 2025, 6:30 – 7:15 pm, The Photographers’ Gallery (free to attend with exhibition admission)
A short introduction to the exhibition with ICF’s Joanna Risvik.
More Info
Shop
Pre-order our new limited-edition, double sided Ten.8 Poster. This A2 Ten.8 poster is signed by ICF’s Artistic Director David A Bailey and Ten.8 Editors Derek Bishton & Darryl Georgiou.
Buy Now
About the Curators
Derek Bishton is an English journalist, writer and photographer. After periods working on regional newspapers, and as a publicist for the Birmingham Arts Lab, he co-founded a community design and photographic agency in Handsworth where the photographic magazine Ten.8 originated in 1978. It was published from Birmingham until 1992. He is currently working on a book about his work in Handsworth during the 70s and 80s.
Darryl Georgiou is an interdisciplinary artist and educator, exhibiting internationally and working across a range of media. He is currently working on a number of arts and socially engaged projects often exploring identity and cultural memory. He is also working on a photographic archive of his early documentary images of Handsworth during the 80s and 90s. As well as being a Ten.8 Director he was a picture editor and exhibitions manager of Ten.8 Touring.
ICF’s Ten.8 project and fellowship have received support from The Foyle Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Hutchins Center for African & African American Research.
Project:
The Photographers’ Gallery and ICF present an archival exhibition bringing into focus two editions of photography journal Ten.8, Black Image and Body Politics.
Book Tickets
Ten.8 was launched in 1978 with the initial stated aim of providing a forum for West Midlands-based photographers to come together and share images and ideas. It quickly became a national and then internationally-focused publication and was described by the Jamaican-born scholar Professor Stuart Hall as:
“the journal which has most systematically explored the relationship between how we represent the world photographically, the knowledge which these images produce and their implications for power and politics”.
This exhibition celebrates the renowned photography journal Ten.8 and its wider influence. It brings into focus two editions of Ten.8, Black Image (1984) and Body Politics (1987), by activating this rich history through text, design and archival material. Using these two issues as a departure point, this exhibition aims to open up a wider conversation about the legacy of Ten.8 and its exploration of the photographic medium.
Quotes are included from both issues by cultural and artistic luminaries such as Barbara Kruger, C L R James and Stuart Hall, and photographs by David A Bailey, Derek Bishton and Horace Ové. These are accompanied by material from The Photographers’ Gallery’s Archive related to these issues and to corresponding exhibitions presented at the Gallery: Staying on: Immigrant Communities in London (1984) and The Body Politic: Re-Presentations of Sexuality (1987).
Ten.8 In Focus: The legacy of Black Image and Body Politics offers a snapshot of the dynamic and multifaceted ways in which Ten.8 explored ideas around power, representation, race and photography. This examination of the journals demonstrates how pivotal and ahead of its time Ten.8 was during the 1980s and considers the ongoing relevance of these texts and images.
The exhibition is a collaboration between The Photographers’ Gallery and ICF and is curated by Ten.8 editors Derek Bishton and Darryl Georgiou. Exhibition design is by Darryl Daley.
Public Programme
Shifting the Centre Reading Group: Ten.8 in Focus – Tuesday 5 November 2024, 6:30 – 7:45 pm, The Photographers’ Gallery (free to book)
In this reading group, we will collectively discuss two Stuart Hall texts: the 2006 essay Modernity and Its Others: Three ‘Moments’ in the Post-War History of the Black Diaspora Arts and the 1984 article Reconstruction Work: Stuart Hall on Images of Post War Black Settlement.
Book Now
Reflecting on the Legacy of Ten.8 – Tuesday 26 November 2024, 6:30 – 7:45 pm, The Photographers’ Gallery (this event is ticketed)
This panel discussion featuring Gilane Tawadros, Derek Bishton and Darryl Georgiou, and moderated by ICF’s Artistic Director David A. Bailey, will delve into the legacy and impact of the renowned photography journal Ten.8.
Book Now
Ten.8 in Focus Exhibition Tour – Thursday 9 January 2025, 6:30 – 7:15 pm, The Photographers’ Gallery (free to attend with exhibition admission)
A short introduction to the exhibition with ICF’s Joanna Risvik.
More Info
Shop
Pre-order our new limited-edition, double sided Ten.8 Poster. This A2 Ten.8 poster is signed by ICF’s Artistic Director David A Bailey and Ten.8 Editors Derek Bishton & Darryl Georgiou.
Buy Now About the Curators
Derek Bishton is an English journalist, writer and photographer. After periods working on regional newspapers, and as a publicist for the Birmingham Arts Lab, he co-founded a community design and photographic agency in Handsworth where the photographic magazine Ten.8 originated in 1978. It was published from Birmingham until 1992. He is currently working on a book about his work in Handsworth during the 70s and 80s.
Darryl Georgiou is an interdisciplinary artist and educator, exhibiting internationally and working across a range of media. He is currently working on a number of arts and socially engaged projects often exploring identity and cultural memory. He is also working on a photographic archive of his early documentary images of Handsworth during the 80s and 90s. As well as being a Ten.8 Director he was a picture editor and exhibitions manager of Ten.8 Touring.
ICF’s Ten.8 project and fellowship have received support from The Foyle Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Hutchins Center for African & African American Research.
Dates:
9 Oct 2024 - 23 Feb 2025
Location:
The Photographers' Gallery
